Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Evership

It's that time again fellow progheads; pay no attention to the calendar or the weather outside--the prog garden is flourishing right now--The Closet Concert Arena is simply trying to keep up. The search for all things prog has uncovered another relative new comer to the prog garden as the journey brings us back stateside.

This week the Concert Closet travels to Tennessee and a check-in with Evership, a prog band of "...Sky and spirit, space and time..." They claim to have entered transcendence; hmmm...that is a calling I simply cannot ignore, so Nashville here we come!

Evership took up residence in the prog garden in 2016 with the release of their self titled debut. Blending a reserved splendor with a touch of the grandiose, Evership pumps through the headphones like maple syrup pouring down a stack o' flapjacks on a frosty morning, only to coat your listeners with a low simmering burst of ornateness that sticks...like maple syrup...

Moving straightaway to the music laid out on the buffet table, I begin at the beginning; "Silver Light." This song cascades across the inner lining of your skull as it weaves through a myriad of moods. There are top notes of Kansas free flowing through the music, emitting aromatics of an Al DiMeola/Chick Corea impromptu jam session. Should be a stimulating week...

Next up on the turntable is "Flying Machine (I: Dream Carriers/II: Dream Sequence/III: Lift)." A deceivingly lavish piece with an understated elegance. The beauty here is Evership's ability to fill a canvas with lavish color without ever seeming to lift the brush. The song carries you across a shifting threshold as you enter Part II; tension builds as you approach terra firma.

Like tuning the old RCA, Evership fades in and out while building a musical Jacob's Ladder to carry the listener to Part III. Gently and without fuss you feel your heart rate slow; an acoustic interlude injected with quick shots of just enough energy to keep the ears open and the mind expanding. The color burst on the underside of your eyelids strikes as the calliope picks up speed...an exquisite almost fourteen minute experience. Now as the ride slows you best prepare for another round...

Liner Notes...Evership calls Nashville, Tennessee home and is ultimately the creation of Shane Atkinson--but the dream became reality once he connected with Beau West. The duo is joined by James Atkinson on lead guitar, Jaymi Millard on bass, Jesse Hardin on rhythm guitar, and Joel Grumblatt on drums. Evership is one of those bands that, like a true romance, needed nurturing, patience, and time to reach its full potential.

The debut album was over a decade in the making, and much like a fine wine, well worth the wait. They say dreams are things you never let go of while making plans, and that has held true in this case. When Shane connected with Beau things started to connect. Sorting through years of songwriting, music, and pieces of their collective souls, Shane and Beau put together and released their eponymous debut in 2016.

Learn more about the origins of Evership and purchase their music at Evership. Of course you can always connect with the band on FacebookEvership FB and Twitter @evershipband. Take a stroll around the prog garden with the headphones on and you will find yourself walking back in time...

Final selection for review this week is called "Ultima Thule." The opening is hopefully dark; much like a beautiful sunrise after a miserable stormy night. An acoustic guitar introduces soft vocals that permeate the room entwined with a soft piano that leaves you pleasantly adrift...a soothing mind cleanse.

My chosen appetizer for the senses is "Evermore (A: Eros/B: Agape)." Evership not only channels Yes when naming songs, they fill the room with aromatics of their ornate extravagance; top notes of a classical nature bubble to the top as well. Vocals as smooth as a velvet painting of Elvis once again pour down your auditory canals and penetrate through to your bloodstream, and you feel every note pulsing through you.

Evership uses a candelabra to light the rooms inside your mind...reflecting so much controlled chaos. The journey begins and ends on a gentle carpet ride, the prog garden just below bathed in ambient light. Enjoy the view...

Thus another week rolls rolls through the prog garden. Evership aptly refers to their music as transcendent. The music carries the listener forward through the genre with a nod to those bands and artists who came before. The prog garden thrives because it evolves; Evership realizes their role in the life cycle of the prog genre and walks brazenly through the fire with head held high, the music a beacon to those all around. Of course The Closet Concert Arena continues the search for all things prog, in the hope of discovering more such gems...until next time...